It’s that time of the year again. Toy Fair is just around the corner. The biggest event in the toy industry is being held this year from February 13 – 16 in New York City.
For the past couple years Mattel has been the company from which I was most excited to see their new products for the year. But, not this year.
In fact, the world’s biggest toy company has, this year, become practically a non-entity to me. I think the only things I am looking forward to seeing from them this go round are the Young Justice figures and what they’ve got planned for the 3-3/4" segment of the Green Lantern line.
Infinite Heroes is gone, and I can’t afford DC Universe Classics anymore (if I even find them) outside of the odd figure here and there. I think the recent Martian Manhunter was the first figure I had purchased in six months or so. I’m glad I did, since I never saw that figure in stores again.
So, outside of Green Lantern and Young Justice I can’t think of any other properties that Mattel has to offer this year that stoke my collector’s fire.
Is that to say they can’t surprise me? Oh heck no! In fact, I’m hoping they do! I’d love to see Mattel pull a rabbit out of their action figure hat and just blow me away. But, I’m not holding my breath.
Instead, Hasbro and their increasingly awesome Marvel Universe line is one of the big draws for me this year. I can’t wait to see what the Marvel team at the Big H has in store for the first half of the year. Not to mention what’s coming for the Thor and Captain America movie lines and their comic book inspired companion lines. Also, how could I forget my first love when it comes to toylines: GI Joe! I can’t wait to see what’s next for the Pursuit of Cobra and hopefully get a look at the Renegades figures, too!
Now that Jakks Pacific has obtained the Pirates of the Caribbean license, I’m super excited to see what’s planned for their various lines (4", 6" 12" and more!) based upon the newest installment in the Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
I think Jazwares is the other company I’m most excited by right now. I love what they’re doing with Sonic the Hedgehog, and supposedly Mega Man is getting the same treatment this year. Also, they’ve got the Street Fighter license and are doing 3-3/4" figures for that. I’m really stoked for that line. Also, it seems that Jazwares has re-acquired the license for Mortal Kombat and plans to support the new game from from WB this spring. I’m dying to know if MK is also getting the 3-3/4" treatment. If so, Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat in the same scale? That’s awesome!
I’m super-curious to see what Bandai has in store for Thundercats!
Lastly, the other company who’s product I’m most looking forward to won’t even be exhibiting at the show: the Four Horsemen. They have a gallery career retrospective, Toypocalypse, running in NYC at the same time as Toy Fair and they’ve said there will be new items on display as well. New Outer Space Men? I hope so! Symbiotech? Please, o please!
So, I’m going into Toy Fair this year with low expectations beyond what I’ve mentioned above. Over the past several years Comic Con International has become much more the showcase for action figures, but hopefully there’s a surprise or two awaiting us next month.
So, what are you most looking forward to this year from Toy Fair 2011?
We all have different opinions and interests. I personally am solely interested in what Mattel has to offer. As a blogger here, you probably should be kissing a bit more Mattel butt like some of the other Men of Action do. That’s how Corporate America works. So pucker up, Jeff.
why should he kiss mattel’s butt, if he doesn’t like what they are putting out?? yes this is a toy site, but there are plenty of other contributors who post articles, who like mattel, and their are plenty of other toy companies out there besides mattel.
I’m not going to kiss any company’s butt. I’ve got no reason to.
I’ve got nothing against Mattel. It’s just right now they’re not producing much that really interests me. It happens. I’m moving away from 6″ scale as much as possible..so, in regards to DCUC, the scale, lack of availability and the price all are strikes against it..for me. But, I think the figures look fantastic for the most part.
I dig Masters of the Universe…but since that’s online only and not shown at TF I didn’t mention it.
“lack of availability and the price all are strikes against it”
I love Marvel but Hasbro is killing me with super high prices and making the best figures hard to find.I may be giving up collecting completely if they dont change those things soon.
I can totally understand how trying to keep up with the DCUC line can be pretty expensive…as well as a bit of a chore. I myself have been ordering series sets through a couple of toy stores that sell online, so I haven’t had much of a problem getting the ones I want. Usually I’m always interested in the C&C figure, which is why I go ahead and pick up figures I probably would pass on (like Kamandi).
That being said, I completely sympathize with the difficulty of finding these figures on the shelves in the usual brick and mortar outlets. Toys R Us and Target have them, but they’re about 3 or 4 waves behind the current one. Walmart has been somewhat decent about keeping up with them, and I was fortunate to stumble across most of their latest exclusive wave, along with their exclusive Green Lantern set. (Granted, I paid full price for it and then saw it for half price right after Xmas!)
On my latest trip to Wally the other day, I noticed they didn’t have any DCUC product at all–not even shelf space for it. Not sure if this means they’ve decided to stop carrying the line or if they’re just reorganizing for inventory. Either way, it totally sucks because I haven’t been able to find Wave 1 of the Green Lantern line. I can’t justify dropping the $$ for a complete set, as there are only a couple of figures I really want.
At least I’ll save myself $100+ on Wave 17. I don’t care for the Blackest Night figures, and even though I would like to have the Anti-Monitor C&C, the pics I’ve seen of it make it look unimpressive.
Actually, most of the Men of Action are pretty critical of the way Mattel has been doing things for the last year or so. I don’t see any brown noses… but a lot of honesty about Mattel going on. Maybe you should go back and bone up on the blogs a little bit.
Oh! I did think of one other line I’m curious to see: Thundercats from Bandai!
Mattel: DCUC. Young Justice to a limited degree (only to see if the six inch figures will mesh well with DCUC).
Hasbro: Marvel Universe (including Cap and Thor) Star Wars. To a lesser degree GIJOE and Transformers.
Lego: Atlantis sets primarily.
Others: Not sure. I would like to know if the Battle Beasts are going to get a new line, though.
i am looking forward to finding out what Hasbro has planned for Marvel universe. plus who all will proably be store for marvel legends return. as for Mattel really do not care since not buying ghost busters or their online motu line. the only news from Mattel from toy fair would be who is next in dcuc. after the anti monitor wave. other wise could care less what the toy companies have planned for toy fair . for if the line attracts me i will buy it. other wise do not care
1. DC Direct. I seem to spend most of my money with them these days. Any wave past Brightest Day 3 which was shown at NYCC in October.
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2. Mattel. Young Justice just to see what they are doing with it. Action League to see where that is going. Brave and Bold to see if it will continue. DCUC to see if the rumored Super Friends theme is true. JLU to see if what was shown at SDCC is still coming.
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3. More later.
I’m still very much into Mattel and I am curious to see what is new for DCUC (and GL), Young Justice and even non-retail stuff that may show up, like Ghostbusters.
I look forward to seeing the comic stuff that is coming (thanks to the movies) for Thor and Captain America. But for cost? I know people complain about the cost of DCUC, but with many retailers putting the price of Marvel Universe figures back to the $8-9 level, that is the line that will go back to pick-n-choose for me. $8.99 for a MU figure versus $14.99 for a DCUC is no contest for me, but I realize like (Marvel Vs. DC) and scale (3-3/4″ Vs. 6″) plays a big part in what people pick up too.
Overall, I just don’t get that pre-excited about Toy Fair anymore anyway. I watch and check out all the pictures at all the sites, and I see stuff that gets me excited, but I have no wish lists or things I really look forward too. I just sit back, wait, watch and don’t get disappointed when something doesn’t get shown.
I’m interested in seeing if Mattel’s JLU line has any life.
DCUC waves after 17, MU and Legends.
Mattel:
MOTUC
Ghostbusters
DC
WWE( I want something new that Jakks DIDN’T do)
Hasbro:
6″ Captain America/Thor figures
Jakks Pacific:
On Stranger Tides 6″
Character Options:
Doctor Who
BBP:
Doctor Who
Triad Toys:
PLEASE tell me they finally got approval on the House figures!!!!!!!!!!
I just can’t be bothered to collect a line that’s too much work. I want to be able to just buy it, NO HUNT! I gave up on MOTU. I actually had the first 10 or so released, but I knew I couldn’t keep up with getting online every time before sell out. So I gave up. They came out with the subscription too little too late for me to go back. JLU I would have quit if I wasn’t already so invested, BUT it did teach me to not jump into any more lines at all. I shied away from DCUC because I was hearing similar distribution stories. There are no lines on the horizon that I’m interested in. I’ll stick with vintage stuff from here on out. The lost me with JLU.
Interested to see if Mattel shows any new Brave and the Bold figures and items.Also waiting to see what the Young Justice 6″ figures look like and if they show the YJ Batman and Robin 2 pack.
Hopefully they will show DCUC wave 18 and 19 and put the rumors on these waves to rest.
And would like to see more of the Action League line.Still on the fence about this one.Was not happy on how Mattel just ended the BATB AL without releasing the ones they showed at SDCC.
Curious about the next Pursuit of Cobra and the next DCUC waves..
I focus my figure collecting on DC Comics, so no Hasbro or any other non DC line interests me that much.
DC Direct: I only buy select characters that I like, which is very few, maybe 1 to 3 per year.
Mattel: I do not expect much from Mattel this year.
DC Infinite Heroes – on hold. I love this line and can’t wait to see it come back.
JLU – I no longer collect.
Batman: Brave & the Bold: I don’t collect.
Imaginext DC: I don’t collect.
DC Universe Classics: I am complete so far, but it is getting more difficult to collect this line. The themed waves are bringing complaints for some people. I’m not happy with some of the character selection lately. I’ll continue collecting until Mattel makes it impossible.
Green Lantern Classics: I will buy these as I am a Green Lantern Comic fan.
Green Lantern Movie 6″: I may avoid these unless certain characters stand out as a must buy. Will wait for Walmart and Target CLEARANCE for custom figure parts.
Green Lantern Movie 3.75″: These interest me. This is the kid line, so I’m looking at playsets and vehicles. The figures are rumored to be movie based only with no comic book version figures appearing. That stinks.
Young Justice: I’m interested in the Hall of Justice C&C backdrop. The figures will be limited in articulation like the JLU and Generator Rex. If they tap heavily into the DCU characters, I may collect them all.
Probably seeing the rest of DCUC Legion of Superhero’s 12 pack. I just recently opened the DCUC Starman, Kyle Rayner, & Hourmnan figures and they just look awesome, especially the two classic JSA figures.
Upcoming NECA figures as these are always a great shelf display.
The Thundercats! Though I still wish MATTEL won the license instead of Bandai.
I’m interested in Captain America stuff & that’s pretty much it.
I im right allong with jeff i am a 3.34inc toy fan so im hoping street fighter and mortal kombat get that size it will be so awesome as for mattel they tried it and bomb so i hope they try it again with better detail and better articulation well se
For mattel to get my money this year i would like to see the DCUC line in a 3.75″ size with the same dedication as the 6inch version
forgot to mention for hasbro gijoe line hoping to see some more 25 anniversary figures pop up in the line like lolife, jinx, zarana, zandar and maybe some cobra la ones
I’m really interested to see what Mattel has to offer becasue unless something spectacular and for me that would be Jay Garrick Flash or more Batman rogues get released, I’m giving up on this line except for occasional 2 pack that may include either a DCSH figure or corrected version of existing figures. DCUC has been the main focus in my collection for the last 3 years. I’ve been pretty fortunate to purchase 80% of this line at retail. So I only have a few holes here and there in order to complete the set, however, the rising price point and total lack of quality control is really starting to turn me off.
Hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think we’ll be seeing any Marvel Legends news until SDCC at the earliest. They aren’t supposed to come out until 2012, correct?
What’s funny is that I don’t have to collect something to be interested in what they show….I only collect Satellite Era JLA stuff, so for me, I want to see Elongated Man, but as a fan of the DC UNiverse, I am excited to see what else is on tap. I also am looking forward to seeing all the weird, wacky and wild Green Lantern products. JLU, Young Justice, maybe Brave and Bold, Action League….there are tons of stuff I want to see.
I can’t help but feel that because there is sooooo much negativity about Mattel on general, that people sometimes (in my opinion) tend to go slightly overboard in their criticisms.
I don’t collect MOTU, but I LOVE to see what they are coming up with.
I cannot wait to see what the first glimpses of The Thundercats looks like.
Maybe DC DIrect will turn up something fun.
Hasbro generally doesn’t get me too excited. I must be Jeff’s bizarro, because I think their line has crashed and burned into a horrible bastardization of what it had the POTENTIAL to be. It’s one Spider Man/Captain America/Iron Man after the next. The painted on details in place of real belts is laughable and the sculpts and paint applications seem to have gone from really great to incredible poor. I’m still interested to see what characters make the cut…but I am sure that it will be dominated with 12 versions of Cap, 10 versions of THor, 6 versions of Spiderman and probably one more obscure member of the Wrecking Crew that someone keeps wedging into assortment while dozens of A-List characters languish in obscurity.
Truth be told, I am probably the most excited to see if we are going to get a new wave of Venture Brothers after Doc Orpheus and Phantom Limb!
Hasblow is such a disappointment I can’t get excited if they produced any figures I would want. The quality of the 6″ line will probably suck air. Legends. Yikes!!
My interest is in DCUC. Concerned about the next two waves but maybe Wave 19 will be more exciting. Plus, the mystery two-packs.
The quality of the best action figures is still there in the DCUC line and I think it’s still worth supporting.
Yes, distribution problems, scalpers, and other problems are troublesome but not troublesome enough to give up on a great line of action figures like these.
I just want to finish off my JLU secret society collection before the end of 2011. I only need Firefly,Doctor Destiny,Killer frost,and Toyman
and that’s it.
I think the only reason I am excited for this years toy fair is to see the new MOTUC figures and hopefully some more WWE legends. The new thundercats line from Bandai definitely has my interest though.
I for one, am looking forward to what Toynami is bringing out this year. Their Futurama line is fantastic. Also, I’ll be looking at what Mezco does as their Family Guy line is pretty nice too. Cheers
I just read that Hasbro is offering Mr. Potato Head versions of Kirk and Kor from the original Star Trek series. Any chance this means Hasbro finally has their hands on the Trek master toy license and will be offering 3 3/4″ figures for the new movie? I saw the news and just speculated all over myself!